Each of us is interested in different things, so it�s our choice when it comes to what data to collect and what to ignore. The Compleat Botanica has many different suggested categories of data, but filling in everything is not realistic for any of us.

As a starting point though, all of us need a common way to identify what we have. You�ll want to carefully identify the genus and species in the Identification View. The botanical spell-checker will help you with this. There is no minimum set of fields that must be filled in. As your interests expand you can change which fields you use.

Here are some ideas for which categories to begin with:

  Professional groups

Arborist: Record tree forms, life spans, fertilizer requirements, and best practices.

Conservation: Develop lists of native, endemic, and rare plants in a conservation area for informed management decisions.

Plant society: Develop regional flora to record exactly what can be found in the natural landscape -- from natives to exotics, from endemics to invasives.

Restoration: Record lists of suitable species for hillside erosion control projects, wetland edge projects, highway beautification projects, and the like.

Silviculturist: Record species data for optimal spacing, life span, and yield.

Wetland management: Develop checklists using the wetland indicator and wetland classification fields. 

  Botanical sciences

Botanist: Record descriptive keys for underground parts, wood, bark, leaves, inflorescences, fruits and more.

Ecology: Record symbiotic relationships, key indicator species, and plant communities for an area of study.

Ethnobotany: Record historical plant uses and plant lore for indigenous people.

Herbarium: Record sheet number, collector's name, collection location, collection date, and collection number for herbarium specimen.

Horticulture: Record best conditions for optimal growth.  Record propagation protocols, seed & pollen parents, and derivation methodologies.

Taxonomist: Organize supra-generic names based on your own research criteria.  Cross check data on publication and author citations. Record notes on original names and synonyms.

  Home economics

Cooking: Record preparation methods and parts used for both common and unusual fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, and non-traditional food stuffs.

Dietician: Record and organize nutritional data such as proteins & fatty acids, vitamins & minerals, and trace elements for fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, grains and nuts.

Florist: Develop lists of flowers available by season and by best uses such as dried arrangements, floral bouquets, and so forth.

  Gardening

Arboretum & Botanical Gardens: Create lists of plants in bloom for easy reference by your docents and visitors.

Flower gardening: Investigate flowering times, colors, and forms.  Develop plans using height and spread.  Compare climate suitability with USDA zones, water & sunshine requirements, or soil pH & texture.

Garden club: Organize club sales, member lists and exchanges, capture anecdotal information, print tags and data sheets.

Landscape architecture: Record lists of decorative plants by stature, suitability to location, compatibility to climate, price, availability, etc.

Nursery: Create placards to prominently feature plants. Develop lists of plants in bloom on a season by season basis.  Use price codes or special prices fields for each record.

Vegetable gardening:  Record best practices for your neighborhood, keep track of seed collections, develop year-over-year harvest data.

  Specialties

Herbalist: Record traditional medicinal remedies, parts used, therapeutic actions, precautions, and poisonous indications.

Dye maker: Record the dyeing properties of plants including possible colors achieved and plant parts used.

Perfumer: Record fragrance descriptions, fragrance intensity, fragrance category, and plant parts used.

Photographer: Capture plant pictures and organize your photo album with proof sheets, zoom and pan, annotated picture printouts, and all of the sorting and categorizing tools of the software.

  Agriculture

Agricultural Extensions: Record common pests and diseases, best cultivation practices, and probable yields.

Pomology: Record cultivation, pollination and propagation details and relate these details to yields, flavor & texture, or fruit & nut quality.